Need MacBook Pro Advice

[MediaPeoplePodcast]

Need to trouble some of the resident Macbook Pro people on this thread. I have a 2011 MacBook Pro that I'm looking to replace with a new 2018 MacBook Pro. Can someone advise on the following?

1. My first pick (based solely on price) is the 13 inch model WITHOUT the Touch Bar. My concern? It only has two USB Type C ports. How far can you stretch a single port? Can a single port handle two USB microphones? Can a single port handle power AND a thunderbolt connection for a second monitor? I might have to pony up the money for the Touch Bar model with the four ports if it looks like splitting ports might be problematic.

2. I'm looking at an i7 processor. I do the odd bit of video work, but I'm a podcaster and need the extra power. My 2011 MacBook Pro is running an older i7 model and it's served me very well for the past 8 years. However, I've heard that the 8th generation i7 processors are having over-heating issues. Is that the case?

Thank you for your time.

 

[simonmet]

I really wouldn’t recommend the 2017 model sans Touch Bar. It’s just so significantly deprecated by the 2018 model which has double the cores, hopefully a finally fixed keyboard with condoms, a True Tone display, always-on Siri, even better speakers and double the Thunderbolt ports including both sides at full speed and power for convenience (also, a faster integrated GPU by about 50% should help with overall responsiveness).

Do what you can to stretch to the TB model. Get it on sale to save some cash. I think it’ll have far better resale value moving forward. Regarding your questions, yes you can do all those things with only two ports with the aid of a dock, but they can cost a fair bit depending on the features required, while any video work will be greatly enhanced by the faster processor in the 2018 Touch Bar model.

As for overheating, no that isn’t a problem any more than is expected for a thin and light ultrabook. It’ll run hot under load but expectedly so (as Apple laptops always have) and shouldn’t throttle. There are some that despise the Touch Bar, and while I personally have mixed feelings I don’t thinks it’s as big a deal as I used to.

So while you can get by with two ports and the right dock, I think almost everyone is better off getting the 2018 Touch Bar model.

 

[jerryk]

Need to trouble some of the resident Macbook Pro people on this thread. I have a 2011 MacBook Pro that I'm looking to replace with a new 2018 MacBook Pro. Can someone advise on the following?

1. My first pick (based solely on price) is the 13 inch model WITHOUT the Touch Bar. My concern? It only has two USB Type C ports. How far can you stretch a single port? Can a single port handle two USB microphones? Can a single port handle power AND a thunderbolt connection for a second monitor? I might have to pony up the money for the Touch Bar model with the four ports if it looks like splitting ports might be problematic.

2. I'm looking at an i7 processor. I do the odd bit of video work, but I'm a podcaster and need the extra power. My 2011 MacBook Pro is running an older i7 model and it's served me very well for the past 8 years. However, I've heard that the 8th generation i7 processors are having over-heating issues. Is that the case?

Thank you for your time.

The non-touchbar being sold today is really a 2017 model.

The i7 for the 13" touchbar macbook pro 2018 is still a quad core, not a hex core like the 15" i7. It is really an i5 running at a higher clock rate.

Just curious, but have you considered a multiple channel mixer that support XLR mics, instead of USB mics.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

The i7 for the 13" is still a quad core, not a hex core like the 15" i7. It is really an i5 running at a higher clock rate.

Not on the non-touchbar version. The non-touchbar version wasn’t updated in 2018 and still has a dual-core CPU.

 

[Fishrrman]

jerryk wrote:
"Just curious, but have you considered a multiple channel mixer that support XLR mics, instead of USB mics."

Good suggestion.

I'd suggest something like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Generation).
Cheap and very nice.

 

[jerryk]

jerryk wrote:
"Just curious, but have you considered a multiple channel mixer that support XLR mics, instead of USB mics."

Good suggestion.

I'd suggest something like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Generation).
Cheap and very nice.

I am not familiar with the Focusrite, but as long as it provides the separate controls for each interface it will work. It is nice to be able to adjust the host's volume level separate from a guest's level while recording. This saves a lot of time in post production matching volume levels, processing, etc.

 

[Howard2k]

jerryk wrote:
"Just curious, but have you considered a multiple channel mixer that support XLR mics, instead of USB mics."

Good suggestion.

I'd suggest something like the Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 (2nd Generation).
Cheap and very nice.

I briefly had a 2i2 and it worked great. Except that I found I really needed 3 or more interfaces so back it went. If I was a professional, or even an advanced amateur, I might have picked up the four channel Scarlett. But I’m not, so I got a behringer umc404hd on sale and it’s amazing. Cheaper than the 4 interface Scarlett. My dealings with Scarlett were great though, I’d have no hesitation picking one up again at some point.

 

[Brammy]

My first pick (based solely on price) is the 13 inch model WITHOUT the Touch Bar. My concern? It only has two USB Type C ports. How far can you stretch a single port? Can a single port handle two USB microphones? Can a single port handle power AND a thunderbolt connection for a second monitor? I might have to pony up the money for the Touch Bar model with the four ports if it looks like splitting ports might be problematic.

My recommendation is the new 13" MBP with Touch Bar. Don't worry about the i7. Going from a 2011 you are going to see a major improvement with the quad-core i5. The 4 USB-C ports are nice, and the speed will be great.

The touch bar is hit or miss for people, mostly miss, but it is easily ignorable.